Japan and ASEAN: 50 years of friendship

It all started with rubber, a source of economic power for the British, French and Dutch in the early 1900s.

Rubber, especially at the time, was essential for just about anything, especially those involving military power – from planes to battleships.

Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese forces in Southeast Asia captured 90 percent of the United States’ natural rubber supply.

Soon enough, Japan became a major producer of synthetic rubber. Realizing Japan’s indiscriminate expansion of its rubber business in the region, Southeast Asian countries led by Malaysia, a major producer of natural rubber, stood their ground and organized a series of protests.

Thus, the ASEAN-Japan Forum was born. It was primarily to address the synthetic rubber issue, including its potential impact on the natural rubber sector in ASEAN member-states, with the aim of safeguarding the economies’ reliant on natural rubber.

Heart-to-heart

In 1977, the world witnessed a significant shift in Japan’s foreign policy toward ASEAN.

Japan embraced the kokoro-to-kokoro no kankei (heart-to-heart relationship) under the Fukuda Doctrine.

That year, then Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda visited the Philippines and announced the Fukuda Doctrine, which would later become the ASEAN diplomatic principles.

The Fukuda Doctrine included three salient points – that Japan will never be a military power; that Japan will establish a heart-to-heart relationship with ASEAN and that Japan and ASEAN will be equal partners.

Indeed, since then, Japan and ASEAN have worked closely for the sake of peace and stability, development and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

Consequently, the first ASEAN-Japan Forum was initiated with its inaugural meeting held in Jakarta on March 23, 1977, according to the International Journal of East Asian Studies.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The conflict over rubber has turned into cooperation and Japan and ASEAN now celebrate 50 years of heart-to-heart cooperation.

This is a testament to the success of regional blocs if members work together. Indeed, there is strength in numbers and ASEAN members proved this when they went against Japan over the synthetic rubber issue.

It is also proof of what countries can achieve through cooperation and dialogue.

Since then, Japan has been walking the talk. It has been a major ASEAN partner in peace and stability: prosperity through economic cooperation; partner for quality of life and heart-to-heart partner through people-to-people exchange.

Commemorative ASEAN Summit

To commemorate the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, Japan lit up its Tokyo Tower for 15 minutes last Dec. 17 at exactly 6:20 p.m.

Tokyo Tower was lit in the three colors of red, yellow and blue, the colors of the 50th Year Commemorative Summit’s logo and the ASEAN flag.

The ceremony, which was held in Azabudai Hills, was attended by Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and his spouse, Kishida Yuko, as well as ASEAN leaders and their spouses and many more.

They signed, together with other attendees, their names on the board and renewed their thoughts toward the further development of the solid Japan-ASEAN partnership called “Heart-to-Heart Partners.”

President Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos graced this historic Commemorative Summit.

Philippines and Japan

The Philippines, with the second largest population among ASEAN countries and more than 300,000 citizens living in Japan, is an irreplaceable partner for Japan.

These words came from no less than Japan’s PM Kishida during his visit to Manila last month.

The PM added: “Today, Japan-Philippines relations have reached the point of being called a ‘golden age’.”

Indeed, the relationship between the two countries is stronger than ever and the timing couldn’t be more perfect, especially now that the Philippines is caught up in a worsening geopolitical conflict with China.

It’s also good that Japan has committed to defend a Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP), including upholding principles of peace and prosperity.

Another pillar of the FOIP plan is to extend efforts for security and safe use of sea to the air.

Toward this end, Japan has provided 12 ships to the Philippine Coast Guard to play a part in improving the Philippines’ maritime security capability.

Aside from that, PM Kishida has pledged an additional five vessels during President Marcos’ recently concluded visit to Japan.

Reciprocal

The Philippines and Japan also agreed to a Reciprocal Access Agreement in maintaining regional peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President Marcos said.

He said the strengthening relationship between the two countries was exemplified by the Official Security Assistance that has been agreed upon as a result of the establishment of a strategic partnership between the Philippines and Japan.

“We are in agreement that we consider to be extremely significant between our two countries is the Reciprocal Access Agreement that will give us a greater capability in terms of not only security but also in terms of disaster preparedness, alleviation and adjustment,” President Marcos told PM Kishida.

In all, PM Kishida said he hopes that Japan and the Philippines and other ASEAN countries can ensure that the golden friendship between Japan and ASEAN will be a golden opportunity that leads to the next generation.

All these efforts are a welcome development.

International cooperation is important because it can help resolve issues in a peaceful manner.

Our brothers in ASEAN and big brother Japan have shown us what we all can achieve with heart-to-heart partnerships and true, lasting friendship – in stark contrast to bullying and aggression and the firing of water cannons against our fishermen and our Coast Guard doing re-supply missions in the West Philippine Sea.

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